New Server Hardware Recommendations?

[Kimball Larsen]

On Feb 19, 2009, at 9:11 AM, Dennis Muhlestein wrote:

> Kimball Larsen wrote:
>> So, my elderly (4+ years old) home server is banging on death's  
>> door, so I need to figger out what to use to replace it.
>> It's been a while (uhm, 4+ years) since I've had the pleasure of  
>> trying to build out my own linux box rather than buying something  
>> pre-configured for windows and just slapping linux on it.  So, I've  
>> got some questions:
>> What processor family will offer the best bang for the buck?   
>> Should I go with an AMD or an Intel?  What are the advantages of  
>> Phenom vs Athalon vs Opteron?  Do various flavors of linux like one  
>> processor family more than another?
>> How's about motherboards?  I assume that after I pick a CPU, I  
>> should mate it with a well-supported motherboard.  Any that you can  
>> recommend as having solid linux support for all their doo-dads?
>> I prefer to make this thing be as small as possible (think media  
>> center pc sized), but have space for a typical ATX case if need be.
>> Thanks!
>
> Why host your own?  If you're going to spend $$$ on a server, why  
> not just spend $ on a good virtual server.  You can do an Amazon E2C  
> cloud virtual server for around $50/month I think.

Control and cost.  First off, this is only a *personal* server - I  
don't use it for any of my business stuff at all.  For < $400 I can  
put together an adequate box that even has a few bells / whistles.  At  
$50 / month, a hosted server will cost more than my dsl connection at  
home to connect to the darn thing.
>
>
> 50/month * 4 years = $2400.  Slightly more than the 1500 an adequate  
> server will cost but lots less than the 3-5k a server that could  
> rival what you get for the price would be.
>
> I'm sure there are other many hosting options with many different  
> price points.

I don't think any are really justifiable for my situation.

Thanks, though!

-- Kimball